


A place to call home

by willxschofield (AndroidHeaven)



Category: 1917 (Movie 2019)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Anal Sex, Blake Lives, First Kiss, First Time, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Friends to Lovers, Frottage, Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Oblivious Blake, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Whipped Schofield, very soft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-20
Updated: 2020-02-20
Packaged: 2021-02-27 22:00:53
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,608
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22822957
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AndroidHeaven/pseuds/willxschofield
Summary: After the war had ended, Schofield and Blake started to exchange letters until Scho finally decided to visit him.
Relationships: Tom Blake & William Schofield, Tom Blake/William Schofield
Comments: 32
Kudos: 197





	A place to call home

**Author's Note:**

> Alright so this took me forever to write, I really hope you guys enjoy it. Once again I'm @willxschofield on [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/willxschofield/) . I post vidEdits of them on a regular basis so if you're into that feel free to check out.

It has been a couple of months since the war has finally come to an end. After all the bloodbath the soldiers had endured, they finally get to go home once and for all. However, forgetting what had happened in the past years was not easy, in fact, didn’t seem possible at all. Only few soldiers tried to keep in touch with their fellow veterans who have survived the war, trying to avoid anything or anyone who brought painful memories back. 

Schofield was never one to have much friends, too quiet for that, and in his war time it was no different. Although his experience has shattered him just like any other soldier who made it out alive of a real nightmare, he still kept in touch with his only true friend from the war: Tom Blake. Honestly, it wasn’t really Schofield’s idea to be exchanging letters with him right after the war ended, but when he got his first letter from Blake, he couldn’t ignore it. Whenever Schofield replied, Blake would soon after send him yet another letter. Since they lived in the same country and not that far from each other, the letters didn’t take long to arrive. That only helped their communication to grow and grow, until it became a habit. Blake always kept writing to him and Schofield always answered, much like back in the war except through written words. Blake was always the one to talk to Schofield and even though he was quiet and usually far away from others, he would still give Blake all the attention he wanted. Although Blake, unlike him, was a social butterfly, Schofield could also tell how he was also his closest friend. Tom would always come to him back then, even when Schofield tried to be alone and away from people. That apparently hadn’t changed when they came home. 

Home. A funny thing. Schofield didn’t feel at home at all with his family.  Of course he loved his mother and his younger sister more than anything, yet it was too painful to be with them. It was almost like he could feel that any moment now he would be called back to fight again, even though the war was over. Schofield needed to do something about it, but he didn’t know what. He just wanted to be somewhere,  _ anywhere  _ that wasn’t his house, someplace he knew was only provisory so he wouldn’t get used to being safe, which was a deadly thing. That’s why he avoided the most going to his house, spending days reading books in the woods far from it, or taking long walks amongst trees to pretend he was still a wanderer. 

In the letters, Blake kept going on and on about how he wanted to see Schofield again. And to be honest, Schofield would be lying if he said he didn’t miss his friend. He missed spending his entire day for years with him, even missed the war. It was a sick feeling, but it still felt better than being safe at home. Schofield started to miss Blake even more when he wouldn’t shut up in the letters about how he wanted Schofield to visit him. In fact, Blake had started to say that in every single letter he sent him, sometimes even describing the places he could take Schofield to, the things they could do together and even the food his family would cook for him. And just like that, Schofield started to deeply wish more than anything to visit Blake. Wanted to see him as a normal human being, although that wasn’t quite true, because Blake was probably just as broken as him. Yet Schofield could still see his smile through those words as he read the letters as he sat under trees, starting to imagine all those things Blake said to him and wish for it to happen more than anything else in the world. 

That’s when Schofield decided once and for all that he was going to visit his friend as soon as possible, and he hadn’t planned yet when he was coming back. Thankfully, his family was pretty understanding about the visit he wanted to make, as his mother was well-aware about how Schofield was feeling ever since he came back, being so distant. She had hopes that this visit would cheer him up and maybe bring him back to normal. And thus, Schofield took the train to meet his friend. 

They set the date and time when Schofield would be arriving at Blake’s town, and it was heart-warming how the younger man expressed his content at  Scho’s decision to finally visit him in the last letter they exchanged. Although Schofield was relieved to be leaving home, he was somewhat nervous to meet Blake again. He truly missed his friend, but he didn’t know if they would still be as close as they were in the war, and that thought frightened him. What if Blake realised how much of a bad idea it was to have invited Schofield to spend time with him and his family and regretted it? 

Schofield tried to shove all those lingering thoughts to the back of his head as the train finally stopped after the long trip and he stepped out of it, trying to find with his eyes where Blake should be waiting for him amidst the crowd. He barely had time to spot him when Blake quickly went over him, a big smile in his still juvenile face that seemed too pure for a man who went through a war. It was a bit weird to see him in such ordinary clothes and not in a military uniform. It held some warm feeling to it which wasn’t bad, just unexpected. What Schofield truly wasn’t expecting though, was the tight hug he was pulled into the moment Blake got to him. It was almost bone-crushing yet it was  _ extremely  _ comforting somehow, like it was a small reminder that they weren’t distant from each other anymore. 

“You actually made it!” Blake smiled as he pulled back, his eyes almost glowing.

“I had said I would come, have I not?” Schofield answered with a smile of his own, his mind finally at ease.

Blake slightly chuckled as he dragged him over outside the Train Station. The entire trip to Blake’s house was definitely not a bit quiet, loud chatting (thanks to Blake’s loud voice) and laughter had filled their ears all the way, making it sound like they were simple ordinary men who were carefree and happy. To Schofield’s joy, it didn’t seem that Blake was regretting to have invited him at all, if his good-humour and beaming smiles were anything to go by. He had always been a positive person, even in the worst times, yet Schofield was still amazed.

When Blake had told Schofield through letters (and during the war too) that his mother was a very welcoming person it had been an understatement. She practically beamed at him just as much as her son when they arrived at the house. She was extremely kind even though she bombarded him with questions about himself and where he was from, a thing Schofield was a bit used to considering Blake wasn’t too far from that type of person. 

“ Finally we get to meet you!” She smiled widely. “My Tom is always talking about you and how much of an amazing-”

“Mom!” Blake cut her words with a hint of embarrassment. “I’m sure he doesn’t care to know!”

_ Oh _ , but Schofield wanted to know.

Blake lived with his mother and his older brother, who Schofield had already met him once back in the worst day of his life. He had given him false (Obviously by accident) information that his younger brother had passed away, therefore seeing him there was a bit awkward to say the least. Still, Schofield could always tell how much of a good person Joseph seemed to be, if his brother’s stories were anything to go by. Joe gave him a handshake and a smile, also very welcoming, seeming to have gone past their previous misunderstanding. 

“It’s true.” Joe said. “He never shuts up about you.”

Tom’s eyes widened a bit before looking a bit annoyed at his older brother.

“A-Anyway, let me show you where you will be staying.” 

Blake quickly dragged him to his room upstairs, which had two beds on opposite walls and a small drawer between them. He took Schofield’s case from his hand and put next to the bed was going to be using. 

“I used to share this room with my brother when we were younger, but he changed to the guest room.” He started to explain. “And he is a bit possessive with his space, so he insisted that we shared this room.” 

It’s not like they weren’t used to sleep next to each other, but it still brought an odd feeling to Schofield. It wasn’t discomfort, it just seemed so casual and  _ normal,  _ unlike any situation they had slept before. 

“If that’s okay with you.” Blake noticed his silence, his eyes unsure. 

“Guess I will have to put up with your loud snoring again.” He answered with a teasing smile. “It’s fine, Tom.”

It was a bit odd to call him by his first name, but Schofield noticed Blake’s smile at his words, a hint of relief behind them. 

“Well, come on then!” Blake started to drag him once again, out of the room. “Let me show you around!”

Blake seemed hyperactive at the moment, his eager and impatient behaviour not that uncommon. He was visibly very excited to have Schofield over, and the older man would be lying if he said that didn’t make him happier. 

When they reached downstairs again, his mother noticed Blake’s childish behaviour as she stopped them.

“Oh goodness, Tom! Where are you going with the poor lad?” 

Blake suddenly stopped in his track, his energy not faltering however.

“I’m going to show him around,  mum .” 

His mother slightly scoffed. 

“He only just arrived, let him rest for heaven’s sake!” She stated truthfully. “It’s not like he will be running away.” 

That’s when Blake faltered his excitement, noticing only now how Schofield could be tired and how impolite he must have been. Blake stared into his eyes with a hint of worry and apology in it.

“It’s fine, really.” Schofield smiled to his mother. “I slept almost all the way here.”

That was a blatant lie. He was so nervous and excited to see his friend that he barely managed to sleep at all. Nevertheless, he didn’t want to worry any of the two. Besides, he was fine with being dragged around by Blake if that made him happy.

His mother eyed Schofield suspiciously, but figured he was old enough to make his decisions. She knew how her son could be persuasive.

“Alright then.” She ceased. “Oh!  Would you fancy some tea?”

“Put the kettle on and meanwhile I will show him around, okay?” Blake answered for him, figuring that Schofield must be bothered by all his mother’s kindness by now or he was just too impatient to wait for his answer.

She shook her head before muttering ‘this kid’ as Blake kept on the dragging of Schofield outside. Their house wasn’t big but it was very cosy, a warm familiar feeling induced by it. It didn’t take long before Schofield noticed where Blake was taking him. 

It was his mother’s orchard. 

His heart started to beat faster as he noticed the cherry trees back there, a ton of mixed feelings taking over his body. Schofield’s favourite tree had easily become cherry trees. He loved cherry blossoms because it reminded him of Blake. Ever since that awful day, when he thought he would never see his friend again. Ever since he had explained to him that there are a bunch of different types of cherry trees, and Schofield couldn’t help but listen to it all. Ever since Blake had said countless times through letters and back in the war that he wanted to show Schofield his mother’s orchard and how beautiful the cherry blossoms were there. 

Schofield had never thought he would actually ever see it.

“Here it is, my mom’s orchard.” Blake started with a smile. “I just fulfilled my promise.”

He couldn’t help but smile back. An honest, pure and open smile right back at Blake as he took in the few trees surrounding them. 

“It’s beautiful.” Schofield said as he approached the cherry tree. 

Blake followed his trail, observing the cherry tree along him, before stopping to observe Schofield instead. Schofield noticed the heavy gaze towards him, breaking him from his trance as he met the  younger’s stare right on. And then there was something so strong that Schofield couldn’t quite put his finger on it, something that made him feel alive and realise how Blake was truly  _ there  _ with him. He couldn’t break the eye contact, and it didn’t seem like Blake wanted to as well. He involuntarily felt himself approaching his friend only by a tiny bit but enough to make him hyperaware, until he suddenly stopped dead on his track. 

“The tea is ready!” His mother’s voice was heard from inside the house, causing Schofield’s heart to skip a beat as their eye contact broke with an awkward stance.

Schofield soon followed Blake inside for their afternoon tea. It turned out to be very nice to spend time with his family, as they joked and laughed; he almost didn’t have to say anything, since apparently the entire Blake family was talkative. 

After all the chatting, Blake showed a bit of his neighbourhood before the night fell and then they returned to the house. When it was time to get to bed, Schofield couldn’t help but feel a bit nervous. Not necessarily for sharing a room with Blake, but he was scared that he would have those very vivid nightmares that caused him to wake up screaming. He surely didn’t want to bother Blake or his family with his personal issues caused by painful memories.

However, he didn’t seem like the only one affected. After they said their goodnights and the night grew, Schofield couldn’t sleep yet. Still a bit nervous, but also excited for the time he would get to spend with Blake for the next days. What had him surprised, were the soft whimpering sounds coming from the bed on the wall opposite to him. Blake was fast asleep but visibly shaking, whimpering in fear and sweating. He was probably having a nightmare. Just like Schofield usually  has. Schofield felt his heart break at the scene, being unable to do anything to help him. Waking him up could make things worse, so he had no choice but to let Blake endure it a bit longer. That night Schofield fell asleep with pain in his conscience and heart.

*

“Breakfast is ready.” 

It was the first thing Schofield registered as he felt an arm slightly shaking him awake. He recognised Blake’s voice as he turned around in his bed to bury his face on the pillow. Amazingly, Schofield had actually a good night sleep for the first time in what had seemed ages. He wasn’t sure if it was because he wasn’t at his home but in a foreign place, yet it was invigorating and he wanted to cherish every moment of it.

“Just five more minutes.” Came his muffled response.

He could hear Blake chuckle slightly as he turned his sleepy friend around to face up again.

“Come  _ oooon _ , wake up.” 

Schofield only grunted in response, earning a sigh from the younger man. Suddenly he felt something heavy on top of his body, opening his eyes to see Blake who threw himself on top of him in a very lazy manner just to get on his nerves.

“Come on,  Scho .” He chuckled. “Get  _ uuup _ .”

“For fuck’s sake.” Schofield muttered. “Get off.”

“Only if you get up.”

“...Fine.” 

When they were eating breakfast with Blake’s mother and brother, raindrops could be heard outside. Until it started a full downpour, the clouds suddenly taking over everything as the rain became loud and frantic.

“Oh fuck no.” Blake cursed as he looked outside. “Why today? It had been nice these past few weeks.”

“Tom, language!” His mother shook her head and Joe grinned at his behaviour.

“It’s alright, Tom.” Joe said as he ate a piece of bread. “It’s not as if your friend will disappear tomorrow.”

Blake slightly pouted.

“Speaking of which, until when do you plan on staying?” His mother asked with a smile.

Schofield stuttered for a moment as he seemed unsure.

“Well, I haven’t decided yet actually.” He answered truthfully. “I will be gone as soon as you get tired of me.”

She gently smiled at him. “Oh, stay as long as you want.”

Much to Blake’s disappointment, the entire day remained with the awful weather. It was dark and raining all day long, only stopping for a couple of minutes before starting again. They were forced to  spend the day in, playing cards with Joe and talking, as Blake would look out the window every minute and complain about how boring it was to stay inside the house the entire day. Schofield, on the other hand, didn’t mind it as much. He was also an open-air lover, but he didn’t mind being stuck in Blake’s house all day long. He was with Blake after all, and that was enough to make him glad. However, he understood his friend’s frustration with the rain and how he probably felt the need to entertain Schofield to other places, even though he didn’t have to because Schofield was fine wherever he was if it is with Blake.

As the night came, the rain only managed to get worse. It had turned into a loud thunderstorm by the time they were both in bed trying to fall asleep. Much to Schofield’s demise, the loud thunders would not cease anytime soon. Whenever one strike loudly, he would slightly jump in the bed, the loud noises reminding him of nothing less than awful things. The thunders sounded much like artillery, and even if Schofield knew that there is no way they are being bombarded, whenever he was about to sleep his mind would mistake situations at those sounds. 

Schofield hoped for Blake to have better luck than him to fall asleep this night, but it didn’t seem as if he was any better. He could hear his friend’s familiar whines that he had heard last night and turned his head to see if Tom was having nightmares again. Much to his surprise, Blake wasn’t even on his bed. Schofield tried to adjust his eyes in the dark, his heart racing as he tried to find where Blake was. That’s when he noticed that the younger man was actually under the bed, shaking visibly as he tried to maintain his eyes open. 

“Blake?” 

There was only a gasp in response. Schofield got out of his bed, slowly approaching his shivering friend as he knelt down on the floor right next to where he was hiding.

“What are you doing?” 

Blake could barely meet the older man’s worried gaze, as he tried himself to grasp the reality of what was happening at the moment.

“I-I don’t know-I'm taking cover because of the-”

He stopped blabbering as he noticed how irrational it was to be trying to take cover from bombs in his house because of a bloody thunderstorm. However, there was nothing for him to be embarrassed about in such a situation. 

“It’s okay.” Schofield whispered softly. “Everything is okay.”

He took hold of one of  Blake’s wrist before gently moving to hold his hand that was clutched to his own chest. 

“I don’t know why-”

“ Shh , it’s alright.” Schofield carefully guided his friend away from under the bed. “You don’t have to tell me.”

As they both stood, Will was about to move away his hand from Blake when his movement was suddenly interrupted by the latter’s hand firmly holding it.

“Please.” Tom whispered with a shaky voice. “I don’t want to be alone.”

Schofield slowly nodded as he offered him a gentle smile.

“Come here.” 

He pulled Blake over to his bed, climbing in first and making space for the other man who followed right after. 

Schofield was between the wall and Blake as he faced his direction, while Blake was also initially facing the direction of his own bed. However, as the thunders continue to come, it didn’t take long for Blake to turn around to face Schofield, who was still a bit in shock for the entire situation happening. 

“I know I’m being stupid-”

“You are not.”

Schofield firmly held his worried gaze, trying his best to comfort the poor lad. His own fears had quickly washed away as he felt the need to protect Blake, the only thing that mattered right now. Blake was so fear-induced oblivious that every thunder that hit he would inch closer to Schofield’s body. Until he was almost pressing his face to the taller man’s chest and neck, still trembling in fear. Schofield couldn’t help but audibly swallow at their close proximity, but ignored any warning in order to focus on comforting Blake. He pushed back his own anxiety as he swung his arm around Blake, pulling him closer until his face was buried in the crook of his neck. 

And for the first time, Schofield could not only hear but  _ feel  _ how Blake was breathing. How his heart was beating loudly in order to pump blood into his body, meaning that he was completely  _ alive  _ in his arms. Like that god-awful  time he had Blake in his arms too, but thought that he was then just a corpse. 

He kept on tightly embracing Blake, registering the feeling of it to never forget.

*

When the sun came up, the skies were clear and bright, no sign of a storm threatening the day. Schofield slowly opened his eyes, trying to remember what happened before he fell asleep. As he remembered, Schofield quickly looked to see where his friend was. Apparently, Blake had gone back to his own bed at some point in the night or morning. Probably wise, considering how it would be awkward to explain if his mother or brother saw how they were hugging last night.

Neither of the  two man talked about the previous night’s incident, not even mentioned it or any sign at all. It was as if it didn’t happen after all. However, both of them knew that it did happen. Yet they simply pretended that nothing had happened, probably for the sake of sparing embarrassing conversations. When the afternoon came, Blake had this bloody awful idea. Which, to his defence, hadn’t seemed like such a bad idea at first. He had heard about a festival going on next to where he lives, and decided to invite Schofield to go check it out with him. 

The place wasn’t very big, although there were quite a few people in it. Despite its size, the entire thing was pretty loud. All the people chatting, men loudly speaking trying to get people to go to his stand, and a few games going on around. Schofield absolutely hated crowds, and after the war he had learnt to despise them even more. Although he was anxious because of all the people, Blake seemed fine, oblivious to it all even. 

They had a look around, watching people fail at those ‘test your strength’ wooden thing and exploring it all. When suddenly, someone came to their direction, startling both Schofield and Blake.

“Hello, Tom!” The man said in enthusiasm. “Didn’t expect to see you here.”

The man was apparently an old friend of Blake’s, who probably knew him since before the war. Schofield thought that man was a bit impolite or maybe too carefree as he hadn’t even bothered to greet Will. It was only when Blake had introduced him that the man even noticed his presence there. Schofield felt a tight knot in his throat as the three of them kept on walking around the festival. Blake’s friend was just as vivid as him, more even. However, he never bothered with Schofield’s existence when talking, which made him feel a bit left out. 

However, what had started to get upsetting was when that friend stopped them to look at some girls. Not only was he shooting the shit like those primordial men did back in the war, he was trying to drag Blake into it. Schofield slightly frowned as he waited Blake’s friend to stop talking.

“Why don’t you go and try to get some?” He kept on talking.

Schofield cringed at the crude question to Blake, his heart clenching at the thought of seeing Blake with another girl. 

“I’m alright, thanks.” Blake slightly chuckled nervously in response, easing Schofield’s worries.

Until finally, that friend of his excused himself because he said he was with someone else in the festival and went away. What an annoying fellow, Schofield thought. He hadn’t even bothered to say goodbye to him. Blake exchanged looks with Schofield as if to say ‘sorry about that’ but Will only shook his head in response. Schofield guessed it was one of the bad things to be a social butterfly, you make friends even where you shouldn’t. 

A sound akin to a shot caught both the men’s attentions, as they quickly turned their head in the direction of the sound. There was a shooting range stand with those fake guns and a couple of kids trying their luck. Although Schofield was well-aware that the guns were fake, it still brought him unpleasant feelings looking at someone with a weapon in their hands. 

That’s when Blake had the stupidest idea so far, and Schofield was even more stupid to not being able to tell that man a ‘no, that is a bad idea.’. He looked over the shooting range stand and had the audacity to ask if Schofield wanted to try his luck there since he was ‘such a bad shot’ according to Blake’s teasing. Honestly, it all seemed like harmless fun. If it was in any other occasion before the shitty war, Schofield wouldn’t have bothered much. However, it was upsetting to touch a gun again, regardless its authenticity. 

“I will show you how much of a bad shot I am.” Schofield scoffed in response; all his worries hidden underneath.

Blake watched attentively as Schofield took hold of the gun, barely registering the loud statements that the man running the stand was saying. Involuntarily, Schofield started to shake a bit, gulping as he prepared to aim and shoot. The targets were only fake red dots in random figures, yet his memories were filled with faces of men. Men who have probably died because of him, only boys fighting in the wrong side at the wrong time of history.

As Schofield managed to pull the trigger, he couldn’t stop either until the time and fake bullets were gone. He only managed to get out of his momentarily trance because he noticed how quiet Blake had gone. 15 seconds without Blake opening his mouth was bad news. Schofield looked at him and noticed how his friend was practically almost as uncomfortable as him, probably realising only now how this was a bad idea. 

“Congratulations, gentleman!” The man running the stand’s voice cut him out of his thoughts. “You didn’t miss a single one! Here is your prize.”

Schofield turned his attention to the man, smiling politely as that man went fetch whatever he had won out of this little shooting session. He wasn’t even surprised to not have missed any shot, Schofield had always been one of the best shooters, not something he was too proud of. Nevertheless, that man came back with a very small plushie-like brown puppy, which happened to be his prize. Schofield thanked the man before the latter turned his attention to the other costumers. Blake was still there, a bit too quiet for his taste. Schofield turned to Blake, observing how he was lost in thoughts. 

“Here.” Schofield broke the silence, snatching Blake out of his lingering thoughts.

“What?” 

Schofield handed him the  plushie . 

“Are you serious?” Blake started chuckling, music to Schofield’s ears by now. “Well, thank you.”

He couldn’t help but smile at Blake taking hold of the small  plushie . However, his smile was broken the moment he kept hearing the people shooting in the range. Schofield had to get out of there before his mind turns against himself. 

Schofield was about to walk away when he noticed that his legs had started running. He didn’t know what he was thinking, but the only thing in his mind at the moment was to get out of there. There were just too many people, too many loud noises and induced too many bad memories. He couldn’t think anything through, shaking in fear and sweating in anxiety as he ran away from the festival and into the forest nearby. Blake was obviously not much behind, as he was running after Schofield at the  moment he had started running away in the first place. Running away from it all to join the trees deep into the woods was a somewhat pleasant feeling, compared to the loud crowd. 

When Schofield finally stopped running; he was out of breath, sliding to sit down leaning against one of the trees, not caring for the dirt beneath him. He closed his eyes and tried to regain consciousness as to what he had just done. 

“Fuck, you run fast.” Blake caught up also with little breath left, but still enough to talk apparently. “ Scho ?”

To his own surprise, Schofield hugged his knees and buried his face there as he felt those familiar tears threatening to drop in the corner of his eyes. By the time Blake sat down next to him, Schofield had started crying, trying his best to hide away from the other man but failing miserably. Blake wasn’t sure as to how to comfort him, because he also knew that there probably were no words that could comfort the fact that they were feeling broken on the inside ever since the war and could not be fixed. A silent minute had passed before he heard Blake fiddling with something.

“Why is  Scho upset,  _ woof!? _ ” 

Schofield looked up, his eyes meeting the tiny puppy made of  plushie being held  right  in front of him. He could not believe Blake right now.

“It is no good to feel upset,  _ woof _ !”

Blake danced the puppy around in front of him, still talking sweetly to Schofield as if he was a small child. Schofield couldn’t take his friend’s childishness and started to chuckle at his stupid adorable silliness.

“ Woofy does not like to see  Scho sad.” Blake continued, making the puppy ‘climb’ on  Scho’s shoulder to his neck until it reached his face. 

“‘ _ Woofy _ ’, really?” Schofield kept on chuckling as he tried to get the plushie out of his face, grabbing Blake’s wrist in the process and holding it in place, not realizing he wasn’t letting go.

“Oy, do you have a better idea?” Blake retorted.

Schofield took a good look at the puppy.

“How about ‘Blake’?” He teased.  “It is small and cute.” 

Blake couldn’t help but blush at Schofield’s teasing, pulling his hand holding the puppy back to him, as if to protect  Woofy from  Scho’s nonsense. 

“I am not small or cute.” He answered before taking a handful of dirt and throwing at Schofield.

Schofield gasped something about how he was dirtying his clothes and then suddenly they were on a full dirt fight. They threw dirt at each other and rolled on the ground as if they were two boys who just found out that getting dirty is the coolest thing in the world. Only poor  Woofy was spared from their session, that had been thrown to the side before it started. 

They finally ran out of breath, laughing at themselves for being childish and realising the dirty state they were in now. Schofield was on top of Blake, still pinning him to the ground with his hands on his arms, starting to notice that he should probably let go. However, for whatever reason, Schofield didn’t want to let go of Blake. The way he was on top of Blake, he could see every little feature of his face. It seemed as if the world only came down to the two of them in that moment. 

“ Uhm ...” Blake broke the intense gaze being thrown at him.

Schofield could practically see the cogs turning inside his brain, trying his best to come up with anything to say as he usually doesn’t like to stay  silent .

“We should probably go get ourselves clean.” Will finally said, letting Blake go and getting off of him. 

“We definitely should.” Blake joked looking at their state which was utterly terrible. They could easily be mistaken for homeless men.

By the time they got back to the house it was already starting to get dark, therefore they wasted no time in trying to go get a bath. However, for Schofield’s amazingly awful luck, it seemed that they were having problems with the water that day. Blake’s mother had explained after lecturing them about how they shouldn’t be playing around in the dirt like some young boys. In short, they only had enough water supply for one bath. Which means, either one goes to sleep like a pig or they both share the water. Now, logically if they were to share the water, they would have to share the bathtub since it would only be worse if someone used the dirty water left by the first one to take a bath. 

“You boys go take a bath, quickly now!” Blake’s mother had said before disappearing into the kitchen.

_ Oh well. _

Schofield sighed internally as they went to the bathroom after fetching their towels and setting the water. It wasn’t as if he had never seen Blake naked before or anything like that back in the war, but once again, this was  _ different _ . Besides, the wooden bathtub wasn’t even that big. As he couldn’t help but shake his anxiety aside, Blake seemed oblivious and uncaring to the situation as ever. Blake was the first to remove his clothes and enter the bathtub, closing his eyes and smiling in relief as the hot water filled his senses. Schofield took a moment to look away from Blake, and hesitated before quickly getting rid of his own clothes and stepping into the bathtub as well, opposite to him, trying his hardest to give each other enough space to be touching as little as possible. A task he had found much difficult considering the lack of space, there was no way they could be inside without at least their legs touching. Yet, Blake was so oblivious that the situation wasn’t made awkward at all. Apparently, he was fine with Schofield’s proximity, even playing around with the soap bubbles by throwing them on the taller man’s face every now and then. 

“ Scho , can you help me with my back?” Blake spoke  indifferently , startling Schofield out of their somewhat comfortable silence.

Schofield was amazed by the lack of tension or shame in Blake’s face as those words had left his mouth, as if he hadn’t noticed the intimacy required in what he had just asked.

_ Are you serious?  _ Is what he wished he could say and joke about it, instead he said what would always be his answer to anything Blake wanted of him.

“Okay.” 

Blake moved to turn himself around in the tub, causing him to shift awkwardly due to the lack of space. Schofield had to slightly jump back in order for Blake not to accidentally hit his crotch in the process. Washing his friend’s back wasn’t something Schofield expected, but didn’t find himself complaining either. In fact, although the situation made him extremely nervous (despite Blake’s easy-going way of dealing with it), it was kind of nice to be able to touch Blake’s smooth skin. It had always looked soft, even though they were usually covered in mud and blood. Schofield thought it was almost like porcelain; precious and perfect. 

It had felt an eternity until Schofield had finally helped Blake washing his back, leaving a lingering soft feeling behind. Blake hesitantly looked back, although not directly into his eyes as his position didn’t allow him to.

“Do you want me to wash yours as well?”

Schofield internally screamed. He shouldn’t say yes to that. It was something too intimate for him, he wasn’t used to being touched by people. 

“Yes, please.”

Blake turned back around and gave Schofield space to turn his back to him, still acting like this was the most normal situation in their lives (Which in some thoughts, it might as well be.), oblivious to the intimacy of it all. His hands were just as soft as the skin Schofield had been touching for the past minute, but this time it was on  _ his  _ body. Softly caressing up and down, Schofield could feel his heart flutter at the touch. Blake would travel his hand all over his back, dangerously low, and then dragged his hand all the way up, sometimes even as far up to the start of his hair on his neck, his fingers grazing upon the growing hair. And yet somehow, Blake managed to make it all seem so  _ right _ . 

It had also felt an eternity until Blake was done with his back, giving space once more for Schofield to turn back around. For some reason, they were avoiding eye contact for a short while, especially Will. Blake would at least sometimes look at him before quickly looking away again, Schofield didn’t even try looking at his friend. He was too embarrassed at how much he had enjoyed feeling Blake’s hands on his body. Blake quickly finished washing himself, telling Schofield that he was already done. Meanwhile, Schofield washed himself at snail’s pace, lingering and taking too much unnecessary care as he cleaned himself. 

“A-Alright, I will be done in a minute.” He replied, gulping slightly. “You can go on ahead.”

Blake was going to ponder as to why Schofield was stalling but his lazy mind decided not to think at all, only agreeing in response before getting up to leave. 

*

There was no thunderstorm that night, which was mainly a good thing. However, Schofield missed the previous night’s contact a bit. He observed Blake sleeping, a bad habit starting to develop itself. If Schofield couldn’t get any sleep, he’d observe Blake who was right there  _ breathing _ , to relax his mind. Blake’s chest heaved heavily, meaning he was probably having an intense dream, but also meaning he was  _ alive _ . That would be peaceful if Schofield didn’t feel bad that Blake also had to withstand the vivid nightmares. Alas he had turned himself to sleep, trying to forget about Blake for a few hours. A task very hard considering Blake’s cries were growing louder. Schofield turned back to look at Blake again, who seemed to be struggling in his sleep. Fuck, how he wishes he could help. 

“ Scho ...” He could hear him say in a hurried breath, as if he was scared. “ Scho ?!” 

Blake gasped loudly as he fully woke up, his eyes immediately searching for the man sleeping in the same room.

“I’m here, Blake.” Schofield managed to say gently. 

However, as if Blake couldn’t quite believe his ears, probably still in shock from the nightmare, he got up from his bed and moved towards Schofield’s. He checked Schofield, touching him as if to see if he was really there, confusion spread in his face. Blake even checked his heartbeat.

“I’m  _ here _ , Blake.” Schofield repeated; this time firmly, reassuring as he held Blake’s trembling hands, stopping his examination.

He made space in his bed, just like he had done during last night’s thunderstorm, inviting Blake into his warm cocoon. Blake wasted no time in getting next to his friend, still refusing to even blink as he kept looking at Schofield to make sure he was really there with him. They were laying face to face with each other, terribly too close for Schofield’s comfort if the situation was other, yet he paid no mind as Blake deeply looked into his eyes as if he were a scared puppy. 

“I dreamed that-” Blake’s voice was barely a whisper. “I dreamed that you-”

“ Shh .” Schofield tried to shush his worries away. “It’s alright now.”

“I dreamed that you were dead.” Blake said with pure fear in his voice, only then breaking eye contact to lower his head. 

Schofield hesitantly moved his hand to start caressing Tom’s soft hair. 

“I am very much alive. I guarantee you that.” He smiled, pulling Blake’s face up again to look him in the face, to make sure he  _ knows  _ that his  Scho is truly there. 

As realisation dawned on Blake, he wasted no time in hugging Schofield; feeling incredibly relieved that his friend was indeed alive.  Schofield couldn’t help but hug back, running han d in small circles on his back , washing the tension away. 

“Promise me you will never leave  me.” Blake’s voice was muffled against his chest, but audibly enough for him to understand.

“I promise.” Schofield whispered back. “I will never leave you.”

Blake sighed in relief, snuggling even closer to Will, who  let himself be used as a  body pillow until they were both asleep.

*

As the morning came by, Schofield had woken up with one of his arms numb, opening his eyes to register what was going on. Apparently, they had somehow managed to get themselves in a very tangled kind of hug. There was no limb that Schofield could move that would not end up moving Blake as well and thus probably wake him up. Amidst Schofield’s struggle to move himself without moving Blake, it didn’t take long for the latter to wake up as well.

“ Nngh , good morning.” Blake had grunted, sounding so casual that one could believe they were used to wake up hugging each other in the same bed. 

Schofield barely managed to mutter something back to him, a bit anxious at their close proximity as the day dawned upon them. They could clearly see each other so close to one another in the daylight. Blake obviously looked oblivious as ever, only noticing how intimate the situation was when he saw Schofield’s tense blushing face. He couldn’t help but feel the blood rush to his face as well. They were very close, faces only mere inches apart when Blake had tilted his head up to be on eye-level with him by accident. Ages seemed to have passed as they stared into each other’s eyes, a little disbelieving of their entire situation, hearts beating fast.

“I-I will go check if the breakfast is ready.” Blake broke the silence, carefully untangling himself of Schofield as he got up and disappeared before Schofield could even properly register it.

*

It turns out Blake was very good at pretending things didn’t happen. He never let anything be awkward because of their awkward situations, seeming oblivious as ever. Although Schofield couldn’t stop thinking about their shared intimacy on these past days, Blake was doing an amazing job of seeming to have completely forgotten about them or simply not cared at all. That’s what made Schofield to start questioning himself if maybe all of that was normal to Blake and he was the one overreacting and thinking about stuff he shouldn’t be thinking about. 

They had their breakfast and lunch in peace, Blake’s excitement towards him never fading away. Schofield was glad about it, because it proved that his theory of ‘Blake was going to regret to had invited me’ was extremely wrong. When the afternoon arrived, they went to the entrance of the small forest that wasn’t too far from Blake’s home. Blake had told him that he used to hang around this place, and often even read  Scho’s letters there. It was a quiet place and away from everybody, the few trees around them were enough to calm Schofield’s nerves down from any tension he felt. They both sat by the grassed ground, Schofield leaning against the tree they were nearby while Blake sat in front of him.  Thay had been chatting for a while, mostly Blake who told him some stories, Schofield had his eyes closed and was only making acknowledgement noises to let his friend know that he was listening. 

“Did you know, when I woke up that day without my rings, I thought a jerry had mugged me.” Blake chuckled slightly, although carefully thinking about it.

Schofield was used to Blake’s sudden change of topics, but he hadn’t expected for him to change out of nowhere to talk about  _ that  _ day. The day Schofield thought Blake had died, right there in his arms. Yet luckily, some soldier from the expeditionary force had found Blake and noticed he was still breathing and had only passed out of pain and shock, managing to get him to an aid post. 

He couldn’t even bring himself to answer to that, only humming in response. 

“I was really scared.” Blake continued seriously, although the words were said behind a hidden nervous smile. “I thought you could be dead.”

Schofield sighed, sliding himself down to be laying on the grass instead of sitting against the tree. He really wished he could forget that day from ever happening.

“Well, at least you still had hope.” He finally retorted. 

“What do you mean?” Blake slightly frowned, carefully listening to him.

“You knew there was still a chance that I was alive.” He continued. “While I had no doubts that you were-”

Schofield couldn’t even bring himself to say it, but Blake understood it. Although he had never thought about it like that, how Schofield must have been devastated about thinking that he was dead. Blake approached a bit to where Schofield was laying down in means to comfort the latter, observing the man with gentle eyes. 

“I’m sorry.” He told Schofield with sad eyes. Blake had learned the hard way not to be nice to everyone he meets, especially in a war.

Schofield shook his head in response, as if to tell his friend not to worry about him. Something that was obviously impossible for Blake. 

“But I was already missing you, back then when I woke up.” He carefully continued, trying not to look directly to Schofield. “And I really missed you these months.” 

Each word leaving Blake’s mouth was making Schofield blush harder, his heart starting to bump fast once again because of him. 

“Have you ever missed me too?” Blake softly asked and Schofield froze, he didn’t expect to be questioned about anything. 

Schofield gulped and nodded his head, not trusting himself to open his mouth about it. Before even needing to bring himself to say it, Blake was looking intently. Not as if he was expecting something of him, but as if he was wanting to do something. Schofield’s brain short circuited when his friend started to lean down, bringing his hand to gently touch his face. He didn’t think twice as he brought his own hand up to Blake’s nape, as if guiding him to himself. They were  _ so  _ close, getting even closer. Schofield’s heartbeat raced and bumped louder by the second, wondering if this was a dream. Until the sounds of grass being stepped on broke the two of them of their trance. 

“Brother!” Blake quickly leaned away from Schofield, his embarrassment trying to be masked. “What is it?”

Ignorance is a bliss, Schofield guessed. Blake was trying his best to ignore that anything happened at all and strongly believed that his brother would ignore what he almost witnessed.

“I need your help in the backyard.” Joe answered after a beat, probably playing along with Blake’s ignorance because he was still processing what he had walked into.

“Okay, let’s go.” Blake quickly got up and followed his brother, who was still a bit perplexed, staring at Schofield with examining observation.

_ What did just almost happen? _

*

Schofield was stuck helping Blake and his brother by the orchard, an awkward tension between all of them that only Will seemed to notice. Because Blake and his brother kept acting as if everything was alright, and Schofield really wondered how did that boy manage to be so carefree and oblivious. Although Blake was ignoring Schofield’s existence a bit during it, he still made it seem perfectly normal. Will couldn’t say he felt hurt, because he felt as lost as the other man. However, by the end of it they both managed to shrug that odd tension off and go back to normal like it always happened. Joe had gone help his mother in the kitchen as Schofield and Blake finished their errand, a bit tired since that particular day was a bit hot. Soon relief washed over them as a strong wind started to dance around the leaves from the orchard’s trees. It didn’t take long before the cherry blossoms started to float around as if they were made to decorate the view. Schofield smiled as he approached the blossoms, trying to fetch a few just for the fun. Blake realised his friend’s doing and quickly tried to start grabbing some cherry blossoms himself, before throwing them all at Schofield. Blake laughed at his own silliness as he watched  Scho all covered in blossoms. 

“Why do you do this?” Schofield couldn’t help but crack a smile as well, throwing back at him a fair share number of blossoms. 

Schofield shook the blossoms off himself and unconsciously proceeded to do the same to Blake. He let the ones at his hair linger as his hair was probably much in the same state. Blake covered in cherry blossoms was a sight Schofield felt blessed to have private access to. He looked so stunning and beautiful. He hadn’t even noticed how he was standing there, lost in Blake’s eyes as he forgot the world around them still existed. Once again, they were standing too close and couldn’t break their soft gaze from one another.

From all the things that could have followed next, this was not how Schofield expected it to go. Blake suddenly pulled him, lips crashing sloppily against his own. It had only lasted about a second before Blake pulled back, a bit amazed at himself for his actions. Once again, Blake managed to run away right after. This time he didn’t even bother to give Schofield an excuse to disappear into the house.

*

Blake had smoothly ignored Schofield’s existence for the rest of the day and start of the night, only exchanging necessary words between them. That entire situation was driving Schofield insane. Why was he kissed? Did  Blake regret it? Did he do something wrong? 

By the time they got to bed, Schofield still couldn’t stop thinking about the small kiss that didn’t even seem real. If it wasn’t for Blake’s  behaviour, he would had thought he imagined it.  Schofield really wanted to feel his friend’s lips again. It had only been for a mere second but he could already tell how soft those beautiful pink lips  were, sweet as they looked. Schofield’s mind kept racing about all the worries involving  what was going to happen. If Blake had truly regretted kissing him,  were they  going to be awkward with each other for the rest of his time there? Did Blake truly despise him now? Had that been a test or supposed to be a joke but Schofield took it seriously? He honestly was at a loss. Until a familiar shadow appeared beside his bed.

“I can’t sleep.” Blake’s voice was barely a whisper.

Schofield made space once again for Blake to climb in , sighing in relief that his friend still wanted his company .  He settled himself down, the two of them facing each other although both looked away.  And Schofield was once again surprised at his friend’s boldness as Blake shifted to move closer to him, not even bothering being smooth about it. Schofield noticed how Blake was staring into his eyes now, even as Will still looked away. Their faces were only mere inches apart, a thing that had been becoming quite common these previous days. 

“Kiss me.” 

As those words left Blake’s mouth, Schofield couldn’t help but look him in the eyes now, flabbergasted at those words. 

“O-Okay.” Schofield even had the nerve to let that soft answer out before closing the distance between them.

He slowly connected their lips , feeling Blake sigh softly into the kiss the moment their lips touched.  This time the kiss was slower but soft, as if Schofield was  scared, he would lose himself in the kiss if he were to d eepen it. It didn’t last long before Schofield broke the kiss, hoping that he had pleased Blake’s request. 

“Keep going.” Blake softly whispered, having not moved away from  Scho still. “Don’t stop.”

That was enough to rile Schofield up, giving him enough courage to resume the kiss, this time deeper. He brought his hand up to caress Blake’s rosy cheek, his other placing against his chest to feel his friend’s heartbeat. It was as fast and as loud as his own heartbeat, meaning Blake was just as excited and nervous as him. That was enough confirmation for Schofield as he travelled his hand all over Blake’s body, opening his mouth into the kiss. He tried to control the pace as his tongue invaded the other man’s mouth, exploring the cave and dancing with his tongue, earning a soft whimper from the back of Blake’s throat. The kiss was growing more heated and the two of them were growing needier by the second. Blake started to trail kisses to the taller man’s jaw, up to his earlobe and down to his neck. Schofield couldn’t help himself as he hunched to be on top of Blake, grinding his hips down against him, resulting in muffled moans coming from the latter. Schofield was growing harder by the second and he could feel that Blake was in the same situation as him. He trailed kisses down Blake’s neck, sucking on the skin but careful enough not to leave a mark on the porcelain surface. 

Blake palmed his tent through the pyjama pants, relishing the moan that escaped Schofield’s lips. Schofield was filled with want and desperate need. Schofield brought his hand down to the younger man’s crotch, tugging on the waistband as if to ask for permission. Blake simply nodded eagerly in response, sighing as his manhood was released from his pants. Soon after, Blake took his cock out of its confinements as well. They started to slowly jerk each other off, Schofield being unable to stop looking deep into Blake’s eyes as he did so, the latter seeming to have the same problem as his eyes pleaded for him. As they began to moan quietly (trying to keep what they were doing from unwanted ears), they started to set a faster pace. Until Schofield suddenly removed Blake’s hand from his dick and took both of their cocks with his hand, starting to work on the two of them by himself. Blake couldn’t help but moan as he pulled  Scho down to bury his face into the man’s neck, sucking at his skin to try and keep quiet. As much as he tried to hold back his voice, Blake was right next to his ear, sending shivers down Schofield’s spine at each heavenly small moan or whimper that escaped his mouth. 

It didn’t take long after that for Blake to come on his own stomach, writhing beneath him and moaning into Schofield’s palm that was now against his mouth because of how his friend was unable to keep quiet. Schofield came soon after, also silencing himself against Blake’s neck as he did whilst using his hand to stop from making a mess on their clothes. 

They both panted as the reality downed upon them now that their minds were clearer. Schofield really hoped that this wouldn’t make things awkward between them, but he would be lying if he didn’t love every bit of what just happened. Judging by Blake’s unfocused and hazy eyes looking at him, he could guess that his friend had probably liked it too. Schofield moved to get up, only stopping as hurried arms grabbed him.

“Where are you going?” Blake asked with worry splayed across his face. 

Schofield gently smiled at the younger man’s mini panic of thinking that he was going to leave him like that. 

“Unless you want to wake up very uncomfortable tomorrow, I am going to get you –and me- cleaned up.”

Blake dropped his hand as he realised that  Scho was probably getting up to get a towel with water to clean his mess. And so, he did just that. Blake wasn’t sure what to do, just lying there as he let himself be cleaned up by  Scho . Soon after the towel was discarded, Schofield laid back down next to Blake, a bit of anxiety settling in now that the moment had passed. He really hoped that Blake wouldn’t regret doing that with him. Considering how Blake fell asleep hugging Schofield, maybe he hadn’t regretted it.

*

The next day they woke up together again, as if it was the most normal thing between them by now. Although Blake never mentioned what happened between them (And of course Schofield would never be the one to start such conversation), he wasn’t avoiding Schofield either. In fact, he even seemed to be happier around the man. Schofield still wasn’t sure if they were on the same page, but at least he was content with the fact that Blake had not regretted anything and didn’t seem to want to back away from  Scho . 

They had been proceeding their day as usual, them playing around and Blake showing him places and things, always telling senseless stories that Schofield loved to hear. However, much to his surprise, whenever someone wasn’t looking, Blake would inch much closer to him than needed. That was actually a habit Blake had ever since the war, always invading Schofield’s personal space and not giving a damn about it. Nevertheless, this was somewhat bold. As if Blake wanted Schofield to notice how much he cherished his presence and craved for his physical contact. There was an instance, before the nightfall, where they were sitting in the living room couch by themselves. Joe was out someplace and Blake’s mother was by the kitchen, dangerously close to where they were. Yet Blake suddenly was way too close to him, and when Schofield turned his head to say something his lips  were quickly sealed with the younger man’s own. Will flushed all over, but was unable to bring himself to part away from the surprise kiss. When Blake backed away, he had this soft look in his eyes and a grin on splayed on his face as he noticed  Scho’s reaction. Truly, Schofield was at a loss for words. 

The next couple of days had remained exactly like that. Although they acted normal around each other, Blake would always steal a kiss or something of the sort when no one was looking. It was probably risky but Schofield couldn’t bring himself to care, because he cherished those moments more than anything. By night, they would always sleep in the same bed together, sometimes kissing until they fell asleep. However, they still wouldn’t exactly talk about it, almost as if everything was between the lines. Maybe there was nothing to say about it, but Schofield couldn’t shake his worries off that this was probably not as meaningful to Blake as it is to him. He wished he had Blake’s boldness and social skills to talk about it but he didn’t, so he just went on with whatever Blake was offering to him. They kept their secrecy about it, trying their best not to make it obvious to Blake’s family, although Joe probably suspected it after that day. 

Until one faithful day when they were actually getting the house for themselves. There was something about a distant relative of Blake’s mother that she needed to go out of town to solve an errand about, someone Blake didn’t actually even know. Usually she would ask for Joe and Blake to go with her, but since Blake had a guest over, she figured it would be too impolite to snatch the host from his guest or to drag the guest along. Thus, his mother was only going out of town with Joe. They would be back the next day, but that didn’t stop Schofield’s stomach from having butterflies all over knowing that if Blake was already flirting the way he was with  Scho when people were around, imagine if they were alone. 

They shared their goodbyes with Blake’s mother and brother, wishing them a safe trip and all of that friendly ritual. When they were out of the door, a heavy and awkward silence fell upon the two left behind. It had never been awkward to be around Blake, even after everything because he would always manage to make it all seem okay, but now Schofield couldn’t help but feel a bit nervous to be alone with Blake like that. Completely alone. 

Schofield turned to face Blake, who was currently looking away, almost if he were shy all of sudden as he noticed the shift in the air between, finally not oblivious for once. However, it didn’t even take a minute for Blake to be hugging  Scho . He embraced him softly, almost as if he was scared that there might be a chance Schofield didn’t like to be hugged by him. Blake was obviously mistaken, and to prove that the taller man returned the hug, pulling him to a tight embrace.  Scho could hear him chuckle.

“You are finally doing something.” 

Schofield slightly blushed at that. It’s not that he didn’t want to be kissing and hugging Blake all the time, but he knew that it was a bit risky. In all honesty, that wasn’t even the main reason. He was simply scared to make a fool of himself, since he wasn’t even sure how Blake felt towards him exactly. 

As he couldn’t bring himself to say anything to that, Schofield parted from the hug and pulled the shorter man to a deep kiss, leaning down a bit because of their height difference. 

“Is this enough?” Schofield teased as he broke the kiss. 

Blake chuckled at him.

“Not in the slightest.” 

The next thing he knew, they were making out in the couch. It was amazing how none of them could get enough of each other. After their kissing session, they proceeded to cuddle (Thanks to  Blake’s initiative as always) on the couch. Schofield always knew that Blake was a very touchy person, he hadn’t known he was  _ this  _ much. Not that he was complaining, Schofield enjoyed every bit of it as much as the other man. It really seemed like the entire world were the two of them at that pivotal moment. It made Schofield’s heart warm enough that he thought it would melt, he had never wanted so much love from anyone before. And Blake was giving it all to him. 

When the sun had set, Schofield left himself be dragged all the way to their shared bedroom. Blake was smiling as he threw himself on his bed, pulling  Scho on top of him. Before any of them could say anything, Schofield’s lips were on his, mouths and tongues dancing on a heated kiss. There was a limit to Schofield’s control, and Blake was doing a good job of making him lose it.

He travelled his mouth through his jaw, up his ear and down his neck; pressing wet kisses all over, lightly sucking at spots that made Blake whimper. Schofield could barely contain himself when he started to undo Blake’s shirt, pressing kisses over his chest and testing grounds as he licked and sucked on one of his nipples, earning a delightful moan from the younger man. Schofield ran one of his hands all over his body, the other lightly tugging and playing with the nipple that wasn’t on his mouth. Blake slightly arched his back as he moaned, closing his eyes as he gently tugged on the older man’s hair for support. Schofield was delighted to see how sensitive Blake was all over. He parted from his nipples and went back up to resume kissing the man, a bit slower and more sensual this time as he travelled his hands down to Blake’s pants. 

“May I?” He lingered his hands as he broke the kiss to ask for permission.

Blake nodded eagerly. “You don’t have to ask.”

“Yes, I do.”

Schofield unbuttoned his pants as he resumed kissing, feeling the other man’s erection through his underpants. Blake made his way to  Scho’s shirt, unbuttoning and removing it with shaky hands. They both finished removing each other’s shirts, Schofield also tugging Blake’s pants and underwear and discarding them on the floor alongside their shirts. He kept kissing Blake all over, as the latter threw his arms around him, letting  Scho do as he pleased to him. Schofield settled himself between Blake’s legs to be more comfortable and grabbed his cock in his hand, jerking it slowly as he caressed the back of his thigh with the other hand. That’s when Blake felt the hand on his cock travelling further down, fumbling with his balls and then even further down to his ass. He couldn’t help but gasp at the movement.

“Is this okay?” Schofield asked as he looked into Blake’s eyes that seemed a bit out of focus already.

Blake slowly nodded this time, biting on his lower lip as he trusted  Scho with what he wanted to do.

“You don’t have to agree to this because of me if you don’t want it.” Schofield caressed his thighs as he wanted to make sure he was okay with what was about to follow.

“No, I want it!” Blake quickly said. “I'm just... nervous.” 

Schofield placed sweet kisses on his chest and his neck before stopping to look him in the eyes.

“I will take good care of you, I promise.”

Blake nodded and pressed a kiss to  Scho’s lips before the latter got up to look for something that could be used in what was going to follow next. There was this hair oil that Blake never uses that was wet and gelatinous enough that could be used as lube. He made his way back to Blake, settling between his legs once more, looking at Blake for any signs that he was uncomfortable with it. 

“Tell me if you want me to stop whatever I’m doing, okay?”

He nodded once more. Apparently, Blake wasn’t talkative all the time it seemed.

Schofield coated his fingers with a good amount of oil, not wanting it to hurt for the nervous lad. He carefully pressed one of his fingers on to his hole, telling Blake to relax before he slowly pushed it in. He grunted a bit as his legs slightly trembled, but Schofield let himself get used to the feeling before starting to move his finger. When Blake was used to it, he added a second finger with care, scissoring him wide so it doesn’t hurt later. Blake started to moan in pleasure as his fingers went deeper, whimpering whenever  Scho drew them back.  Schofield experimentally curled his fingers upward, causing  Blake to gasp and arch his back as they reached his sweet spot . 

“I’m ready,  Scho .” He almost whimpered, a cloud of need filling his mind.

Schofield fingered him for a little longer just to make sure (and because the sounds escaping Blake’s mouth were heavenly) before he moved back to remove his own pants and underwear. He made quick work of it and discarded them with the rest of their clothes. Blake’s blissed stare travelled all over  Scho’s body, lingering on his hard cock. Schofield felt a bit embarrassed and self-conscious under such intense gaze, but the fact that Blake liked what he was seeing made him even more turned on.

“Try to relax and tell me if it hurts.” Schofield said, watching an almost desperate Blake writhe underneath him.

“Hurry!”

Schofield took mental note of the younger man’s neediness before reaching for the oil to coat himself with it. He lined his cock against Blake’s entrance, holding the gaze that was directed right at him. Before Blake could start begging for him to go on, Schofield started to slowly push in, closing his eyes in pure ecstasy. When he had pushed all the way in, Schofield could feel that the entire world had stopped for a moment, being pulled back to hear Blake whimper ‘ Scho ’ over and over as if it was a prayer. 

“Is it all in?” Blake panted as he felt full.

“Yes.” Schofield grunted in response, trying to control himself.

He let Blake get used to the feeling of being full before he started moving slow at first. Blake pulled him down to hug him, throwing his arms around  Scho’s neck as he closed his eyes and took the feeling in. Blake’s constant whimpers right next to Schofield’s ear drove him to start fastening his pace a bit as he started to properly thrust into the other man. 

“Go faster.”

If Blake kept whimpering and moaning like that to his ear, Schofield surely wouldn’t last long and probably neither would the former. It was simply too much to bear. 

Schofield did as he was told, fastening his pace and angling his thrusts to hit the spot that had caused Blake to see stars earlier. When he found it again, Blake couldn’t help but moan loudly as he arched his back, holding even more tightly to Schofield as he kept hitting that same spot over and over again, driving him mad. Schofield moved one of his hand to start jerking Blake off in time with his thrusts, feeling the man tighten around his cock at feeling those sensations at once. 

“ Scho , I’m going to--”

“Me too.” 

Schofield couldn’t hold back his own grunts and moans either as his thrusts became sporadic. With a breathless moan Blake reached his high, coming on both of them as he kept a firm hold of  Scho . It didn’t take long before Schofield came inside him, groaning as he came down from his high.

They both tried to regain their breath as they breathed heavily against one another, still amazed at what had just happened. Schofield moved to lay next to Blake, mindful enough not to collapse on top of him. He turned to face Blake as the latter did the same, looking into his eyes with something akin to bliss. 

“We should definitely do this again sometime.” Blake whispered softly with a smile.

Schofield smiled back to him, feeling blessed to be having all these moments with that man.

“Agreed.”

*

After they napped for a while, Schofield prepared the bath for the two of them to get cleaned up. Everything seemed to be going so smoothly and casual that anyone could had thought they were a cute married couple, although Schofield didn’t want to think much about that considering he still wasn’t sure what this all meant for Blake. Meanwhile, Blake seemed oblivious to that as always, enjoying his alone time with Schofield to the fullest. He even begged to Schofield to wash him entirely because ‘his body was too tired’ from what he had done to him, and of course  Scho washed, spoiling that brat. After fooling around for a bit more, they slept soundly in each other’s arms as if there was nothing that could stand between them.

The very next morning, they woke up a bit earlier than usual since they had to get themselves their own breakfast and wanted to spend their time alone with each other to the fullest. It turns out that neither of them knows how to properly cook, besides weird gruels that they had to do back in the war. Therefore, they only ended up eating some fruits and drinking tea. They had spent some time cuddling on the couch again, before it escalating to a soft making out session. That’s when they heard something. 

It was the sound of something that fell down on the floor. However, the sound came from behind them in the direction of the door. They suddenly parted and gasped in surprise as they noticed their colossal mistake. Apparently, Blake’s mother arrived earlier than she was supposed to, and was right there in front of a homo scene involving her youngest son. 

_ Oh fuck. _

She didn’t yell, scream or made a fuss about it. In fact, she didn’t say or do anything. His mother simply disappeared through the door. Blake looked terrified out of his mind but followed after her as he called out for his mother. Schofield simply stood there, in shock and also terrified. Not only that, he was also feeling completely guilty. 

What would follow between Blake and his mother should not be of Schofield’s concern. Therefore, he didn’t think twice as he quickly walked out through the backdoor and disappeared himself. He wasn’t sure where he was going, in fact Schofield barely cared. His mind was rushing through millions of thoughts and worries, his panic increasing by the second. Blake must be feeling the same thing. Schofield noticed that his feet took him to the entrance of that forest near his house that Blake had taken him the day Joe saw them almost kissing. Well, someone finally did after all.

Schofield sat down on the grass and leaned against the tree before he started crying. He had no idea what was going to happen--they could be killed for goodness’s sake. Maybe everything was an awful mistake. Maybe it was all his fault. What if Blake was like  _ that  _ because of him. Schofield never intended to make Blake a homo on purpose, if it was his fault. Honestly, he was so lost. He couldn’t even understand himself. Why in god’s name did he have to love another  _ man _ ? On top of that, his best and only friend. To say Schofield felt horrible at the moment was definitely an understatement. The thing is he never had thought it was something wrong until now, when he realised the importance of keeping everything a secret. He wiped his tears and tried to stop from letting more of them out as he stayed there under the tree, his safe zone. 

By the time night fell, Schofield was lost. He hadn’t noticed he spent the entire day there and he truly didn’t know what to do next. It’s not as if he could simply go back to the house and pretend nothing had happened. He didn’t even know if Blake was there right now. He hasn’t a single clue of what happened between him and his mother in fact. Schofield couldn’t help but sigh, feeling terribly lonely and in despair. Maybe he should just go fetch his things and leave this place for good. This way everyone here would be probably happier. After all, he was just a bloody waste of space who didn’t deserve anything Blake and his family had given him the past few days.

“Oh my fucking god,  Scho !” 

He heard that way too familiar voice and for a moment thought he was hallucinating it until he lifted his head up, seeing the man that Schofield ruined his life.

“I thought you had left for good!” Blake’s voice was slightly panicked. “I thought--”

“Stay away from me!” Schofield couldn’t help but let those words out as Blake tried to approach him.

He quickly got up, making a safe distance between him and Blake. He could see Blake’s hurt mixed with confusion and fear from miles.

“What are you saying?” 

“You shouldn’t be close to me.” Schofield felt his tears escaping his eyes again. “You shouldn’t even talk to me again.”

Without noticing, Blake was inching closer to him but froze as  Scho’s words started to sink in. He could also feel tears forming in his eyes now.

“I’ve made you this way, haven’t I?” Schofield couldn’t even look him in the eyes. “I didn’t mean to--”

“Stop! Stop right there!” Blake found himself almost shouting. “What the bloody hell are you talking about?”

Schofield gulped, not being able to bring himself to evolve his statement as he was just as lost as Blake on what he was trying to say. All he could do by now was to cry in silence.

“Look, you haven’t made me into anything bad, okay?” Blake softly said, his words so sweet that  Scho could actually bring himself to believe it. 

Blake started to slowly make his way towards Schofield, careful and his eyes gentle not to scare the latter. 

“You are the only one who makes me feel like this, but that doesn’t mean it’s something bad.” He continued, causing  Scho to look him in the eyes for a second before looking away again.

Schofield sighed, wiping his tears and feeling stupid for being like that when Blake was handling this way better than him.

“If it was something bad, then I wouldn’t feel this happy with you, would I?”

Blake’s words were like music to Schofield’s ears; peaceful and calming, the perfect piece for a troubled mind. 

“So, don’t ever say those things again and don’t ever disappear on me either.” Blake lightly said. “You got me worried sick!”

He finished with a shake of his head and a smile, managing to lighten up the mood as he always did everywhere,  whether it was the war in the front or the one at home. 

“I’m sorry... For all of that.” Schofield finally managed to say, his voice a bit hoarse. “You are the only one that makes me feel this way too, so I don’t know how to react.” 

Blake slightly smiled at those words, carefully bringing the other man to a tight embrace. Schofield would die if he were to actually stay away from Blake forever, he could barely even let the man go from his arms. 

“There is something, though.” Blake broke their comfortable silence.

Schofield looked at him, sad eyes now turned into worrisome ones.

“My mother wants to speak with you.” 

He gulped. There was probably nothing good that would come out from Blake’s mother wanting to speak to Schofield after seeing what he was doing to her son. However, it was not as if he had much of a choice. Schofield simply nodded in response. 

The walk back to the house was quiet, filled with a bit of tension due to their shared anxiety. Schofield felt as if he’s been summoned to the headmaster’s office after doing something very bad, except ten times worse. When they got there and entered the living room, his mother was sitting on the armchair sipping some tea, waiting patiently. She told Blake to give them some space to talk alone and he obeyed, sharing one last glance with  Scho before disappearing upstairs. Schofield could hear his heart beat from miles as he sat down on the couch in front of the armchair, fidgeting a bit with his hands. A tense silence lingered for a while, driving Schofield mad. 

“I am sorry--”

“Don’t bother.” She interrupted him, not angrily but simply dismissive. “Let me speak at first.”

Schofield shut his mouth, waiting for the mother take another sip of her tea before she continued talking.

“I’m not sure I get it.” She paused briefly. “But I already suspected it.”

Those last words caused Schofield to swallow hardly as his eyes were filled with surprise. 

“How--”

“The  way Tom talked about you. He always made it sound as if you were his guardian angel or something.” She said nonchalantly, as if remembering something. “And the way he got happy whenever your letters arrived.”

She scoffed slightly, not in disgust but almost in disbelief and amazement of it all. If the circumstances weren’t this tense, Schofield’s heart would have melted to know the effect he had on Blake even from a distance.

“I obviously never knew for sure until now.” She sighed, her words unsure and confused. “I don’t suppose I really know how to feel about this.” 

Schofield gulped again, looking away for a moment as he thought about how even himself didn’t know how to react to this all. All he knew was that he really wanted to be with Blake, but this might not be able anymore because of what happened.

“But... I suppose you are good for him.” 

As those words left her mouth, Schofield looked right back at her again as she looked back at him with something akin to ‘Yes, I know. Unexpected.’. 

“How come, if may I ask?”

She had a small sad smile on her face before answering his question.

“You see, Tom had always been a lively and happy kid. Always telling stories and smiling.” 

Schofield was well-aware of that, but kept on listening carefully.

“That was until he came back home from the war.” She frowned sadly at the memory. “Ever since, he would rarely smile or say anything at all. Always kept to himself, very unlike him.”

He couldn’t help but be surprised at those facts, considering he had never seen Blake like that. Tom was always smiling and acting his normal self around Schofield.

“That was until you showed up here.” She glanced back at him. “It was almost as if nothing had ever changed and that Tom was back to himself.”

Schofield looked  perplexed; he had no idea what to think at the moment. He wasn’t sure if he was glad or worried. 

“ So, I’m glad you are here, Will.” She finished with a small soft smile, still confusion hidden behind her eyes but not anger or something alike.

He slightly nodded his head, not sure what he should say after all of that. 

“Thank you.” It’s what he managed to say, relieved that this had not gone as bad as he expected.

“Though, I will ask from you to be careful. I don’t want my Tom to get in trouble.”

Schofield couldn’t help but firmly make a statement.

“I promise you that I wouldn’t let anything happen to him.”

*

After having some tea together, they had ended the conversation in friendly terms, although Blake’s mother was still digesting everything. Schofield went upstairs to his shared room to check if Blake was there. He was laying on his own bed, a clear look of nervousness splayed upon his facial features as he fiddled around with his fingers. Blake’s eyes soon lit up as he noticed Schofield there. Before he managed to say anything, Schofield approached the other man and placed a soft and sweet kiss on his lips before laying down to face him. 

“How did it go?”

“Well, I’m still here.” Schofield smiled. 

“What did she say?” He couldn’t help his curiosity. 

Schofield sighed softly, unsure on how to put it shortly.

“She seemed okay, although confused.” He started. “She said that it was a good thing.”

Blake nodded slightly as he smiled. “See, I told you it wasn’t bad.”

Schofield couldn’t help but shake his head in disbelief, smiling to himself.

“And what did she say to you?” He asked Blake, curious himself to know how their conversation also went.

“Well, she was also confused and my brother just told me to be careful.” Blake answered with an indifferent look. “But my mother told me she already suspected it. I’m not sure how.”

“If the things she told me is anything to go by, it’s very obvious  _ how _ .” Schofield couldn’t help but tease, watching Blake’s face get adorably red.

“Oy! Shut your trap about it.” He playfully hit  Scho on the chest, shaking his head as he probably considered how his own mother exposed him.

They lightly chuckled for a while, before Schofield started to caress the younger man’s beautiful pinkish face. 

“How do you think your family would react?” Blake asked  softly, curiosity getting the best of him.

Schofield didn’t expect that question, he had never even thought about it. 

“I don’t know.” He answered truthfully. “But hopefully somewhat like your family did.”

“I’m sure they would.” 

Blake kissed him before smiling at him, his eyes making it seem as if there was nothing wrong or to worry ever again. It was peaceful to be with him; it was fulfilling and incredibly heart-warming. 

“You know, when you go back to your house you could take me to visit you.” 

Schofield smiled at  Blake’s adorable eagerness. “Is that so?”

Blake hummed in response. 

“You are aware that we should probably find work and do something with our lives, right?” 

He couldn’t help but state the obvious with a smile to Blake. It was a very common problem among the veterans from the war as Schofield was aware, considering they were all too broken and unaware how to live a normal civilian life. They were all a different species to them; some even called them the ‘lost generation’. Although they were not exactly wrong, it was not very comforting either. 

“I  _ knoow _ .” Blake scoffed. “But if you had time to visit me, it only makes sense I visit you.”

Schofield couldn’t help but nod. As if he could ever say no to that man before him when he looked at him so purely.

“I suppose it does.”

Blake hummed again before being unable to stop his running mouth.

“And then we could find work here and you could live with me.”

“I’m--

“AND, you could keep visiting your family on a regular basis because it’s not that far if that’s the problem.”

Schofield chuckled at Blake’s unstoppable mind. It was really adorable.

“I was only going to say that I’m sure you should talk to your family before inviting me to live here eternally, Blake.”

Blake pouted slightly, snuggling closer to  Scho as the latter caressed his hair. They stayed in each other’s arms in a comfortable and peaceful silence, washing over all their worries about the future away. By now it was clear to Schofield what this all was. It was clear how Blake felt towards him and it was the exact same way he felt towards Blake. He had never felt happier than right now, knowing how much they wanted each other. How they could not be able to breathe if they were apart. 

“I love you, Tom.”

Blake backed away slightly, only enough to be able to look at  Scho’s eyes with widened and confused ones himself. Schofield was looking away, face slightly flushed but he knew  Scho meant those words. Blake couldn’t help but let out a wide and pure smile.

“I love you too, Will.”

Schofield had never felt at home ever since he came back from the war, ever since his life changed dramatically into something normal. Yet, at this moment with Blake in his arms, he had never felt more at home than any other time in his life. Wherever they would be, regardless whose house and regardless if in hell or in heaven; as long as he was with Blake, it would be a place to call home.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading this! Kudos and comments are VERY appreciated. Also if something doesn't make sense it's because I wrote half of this fic while high so I'm sorry akskaksaks
> 
> ALSO ENGLISH IS NOT MY NATIVE LANGUAGE, PARDON ANY GRAMMAR MISTAKES T_T


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